20090430

Arizona in line for new distillery

By the end of the year, the number of Arizona cities with distilleries should double.

Of course, that's not a difficult target to reach. At the moment, Flagstaff is the only one.

However, the Kingman Airport Industrial Park -- marked in map at right -- has auctioned off a two-acre parcel of land for $130,680 to a Nevada couple who said they plan to construct a distillery there.

The sole bidder for the property was PJ Patt Investments LLC, owned by John and Deborah Patt of Boulder City, NV. Bob Riley, the Industrial Park's director of economic development, told the Kingman Daily Miner the Patts have purchased a German-manufactured still similar to the one used by the Flagstaff-based High Spirits Distillery, manufacturer of a prickly pear-flavored vodka that debuted in December 2005. (Go here for my original story on High Spirits.)

He said the Patts intend to manufacture vodkas and specialty brandies, with the potential for tourism somewhere down the line.